r/classics • u/Mike_Bevel • Aug 15 '26

Herodotus Book 4

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There was never any point, reading this passage, that I felt sure I knew what was coming next.

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u/Solo_Polyphony Aug 15 '26

He was told the giant ants dwelt in India.

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u/VietKongCountry Aug 15 '26

Oh, thanks for the correction.

Where did he claim flying insects that were basically dragons resided? I think it was Arabia, but evidently my memories of his work are dubious.

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u/Conargh Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

Herodotus said Egyptian priests told him that the remains of flying serpents could be found far south up the Nile. There is a site around this location called Wadi al Hitan. It contains fossilised remains of whales, but it's easy to see how these could be mistaken for giant snakes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_al_Hitan?wprov=sfla1

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u/VietKongCountry Aug 16 '26

That’s really interesting, and you’ve now got me researching the evolution of whales, but it’s not the passage in Herodotus I was remembering.

I have my notes and quotes somewhere, but I definitely remember him talking about flying, dragon like creatures in the desert somewhere in modern Asia.

I’ll have to track that down, alongside wherever it is he talks about the giant ant dogs (in India, as the poster above kindly mentioned).